Hassan: Talk of Politicizing Vaccines Aimed at Harming Our Resolve

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan hit back anew Friday at those who have criticized his decision to allow several MPs and parliament officials to bypass the national Covid-19 vaccination mechanism.

“The talk of smuggling and politicizing the vaccines or, God forbid, taking advantage of them is aimed at spreading despair and doubt in order to harm our resolve,” Hassan said at a reopening ceremony at the Orange-Nassau Governmental Hospital in Tripoli.

“I tell them: do not tire yourselves. Whatever you do, the path of righteousness that we are treading on and the path of protecting our citizens will remain pure and white,” the minister added.

“This apron cannot get soiled, no matter how much the challenges increase. Along with our society, we will rise to the level of the challenge,” Hassan went on to say.

During the minister’s presence at the hospital, a group of anti-government protesters surrounded its premises amid the presence of army troops.

The protesters slammed Hassan as a “thief” and shouted slogans as his convoy left the hospital.

Hassan had announced Wednesday evening that he took a “sovereign decision” to vaccinate lawmakers “in appreciation of their efforts, after parliament convened for seven consecutive days to approve the vaccine’s emergency use law.”

“There is a mobile clinic at the Health Ministry which will move between state institutions… and I will also visit the religious authorities to give them the vaccine the same as I gave it to MPs,” the minister added.

Noting that the age range of the MPs who received the vaccine was “not against logic,” Hassan described the uproar over the issue as “exaggerated” and “out of proportion.”

The World Bank threatened Tuesday to suspend financing for coronavirus vaccines in Lebanon over what it said were suspected violations by lawmakers who were inoculated in parliament.

Such a move by the World Bank would have grave consequences as Lebanon struggles through severe financial and economic crises and is in desperate need of aid. The World Bank said last month it approved $34 million to help pay for vaccines for Lebanon that will inoculate over 2 million people.

"Everyone has to register and wait for their turn! #nowasta," the World Bank's regional director Saroj Kumar Jha tweeted, using a Lebanese term meaning that there should not be nepotism.

In January, Lebanon's government launched a digital coronavirus vaccination registration platform for residents of the nation.

Lebanese had been expecting the vaccine rollout to be riddled with corruption and violations but news that MPs had received their injections sparked anger on social media, in a country with a long reputation for government corruption.

"My mom is 84 she is registered and didn't (have) her turn yet, while all the politicians, (their) families and friends will be vaccinated before her," said one Twitter user.

Lebanon’s national plan prioritizes medical workers and residents over 75 years old in its current first phase. Some of the legislators inoculated Tuesday were younger than 75.